Ghana adds Soter through-body X-Ray security scanner

Tue, 2010-04-06 11:46 AM

Ghana has become the second African nation, following Nigeria, to upgrade its airline security with the installation of a Soter through-body X-ray security scanner, Netherlands-based OD Security reports.

The scanner was bought by the U.S. Government and donated to Ghana as part of a program to boost security at airports that have been identified as ports of embarkation for drug mules bound for the U.S., according to OD.

Although the program was originally conceived to combat the narcotics trade, following the failed “Underwear Bomber” attack on Detroit-bound Flight 253, the Soter will be used to scan selected passengers who have been identified as posing a possible security risk, the company says.

Unlike millimeter wave and back scatter scanners being widely deployed elsewhere, the Soter provides a through-body X-ray image that can detect any objects hidden in or on the human body within just 10 seconds, negating the need for intrusive strip searches, according to the company.

The scanner has been installed at Accra International Airport, and six members of the Ghanaian security staff have undergone training at the OD Security training center in The Netherlands.